Plan to rank A-level students comes under fire

Exam board suggested awarding bonus points to students from low-performing schools who achieve top grades Politicians and universities have condemned a proposal to rank every A-level student in the country and award bonus points to those from low-performing schools who achieve top grades. Britain’s biggest exam board, the Assessment and Qualifications Alliance (AQA), is floating the idea at the party conferences, arguing that it would help universities identify bright pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds. Neil Stringer, author of the proposal and a senior research associate at the exam board’s Centre for Education Research and Policy, suggests students should be awarded an exam score based on their three best A-level grades, then put into different performance bands. Those who attend weak schools, but perform highly would be awarded extra points, while those who perform well at top public schools would have points subtracted. All pupils would then be ranked based on their final scores. The proposal, contained in a discussion paper, has elicited strong criticism within education circles and from all sides of the political spectrum. Nick Gibb, the schools minister, said the main way to guarantee universities took a wider range of students was to improve schools and ensure that “more young people achieve good grades in the right subjects – regardless of background”. He said the proposal risked confusing employers, teachers and pupils by giving different values to the same A-levels and warned that it would undermine the integrity of exams. Andy Burnham, Labour’s shadow education secretary, said rather than adopt AQA’s idea, schools should do “a little more to raise aspiration”, and universities that interview candidates should consider the culture of an interview process which “often replicates the atmosphere of private schools.” The Russell Group, which represents Oxford, Cambridge and eight other leading universities, described the exam board’s proposal as “crude and highly unlikely to help widen access”. Wendy Piatt, director general of the Russell Group, said admissions tutors already considered students’ academic achievements within a broader context: “Our universities often use personal statements, references, additional tests and interviews, as well as taking into account any particular barriers – such as spending time in care – that candidates have faced.” She said that AQA’s overly simplistic ranking system was at odds with this holistic approach. “No single measure of educational context could fairly rank all applicants, and we would warn against such crude approaches. Social and economic disadvantage are complex problems that are difficult to measure reliably, especially at the level of individual applicants.” Million+ , which represents universities formed after 1992, said many of its institutions had already developed systems that took into account applicants’ backgrounds, thereby enabling them to identify talented students from less advantaged homes. Professor Malcolm Gillies, vice-chancellor of London Metropolitan University, said the proposals failed because it was the “individual students” who were admitted to university and who gained the grades, not the schools. “If there is any hint that grades are socially moderated in any way their value will be diminished,” he said. “Universities need to see the naked grades.” Toni Pearce, the National Union of Students’ vice-president for further education said that the proposal amounted to “merely a sticking plaster”. “We should not lose sight of the overriding need to improve educational standards across the board,” she said. Stringer told the Independent that he had been influenced by St George’s medical school, which is part of the University of London. It gives a lower offer to students whose performance is at least 60% better than the average for their school. “This strongly suggests that students admitted through the adjusted-criteria scheme learned enough at A-level and are able-enough learners to compete successfully with students who achieved higher A-level grades under more favourable circumstances,” he said. This summer , universities had to set out how they would widen their pool of students if they want to charge more than £6,000 a year from next year. Every institution was forced to adopt an “access agreement” approved by the Office for Fair Access watchdog. The access agreements will be reviewed each year, with institutions that fail to meet their agreed targets on recruitment and retention facing fines or losing the right to charge more than £6,000. A-levels Higher education Schools Andy Burnham Jessica Shepherd Jeevan Vasagar guardian.co.uk

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